The circle is a symbol of circular economy, but in each spiral of the whirl a new bigger circle is created. It expresses our desire to pull as many people as possible together to minimize waste. We now collect toothbrushes, tones of which were ending on the dumping site, as they are not recycled in Slovakia. We recycle them into sorting trash bins for each classroom of 200 schools. Kids get them with lectures from 3 NGOs which are building the educational structure together to make it perfect.

Slovakia

Many NGOs are active in the same topics and area, but never really closely cooperated. On this project all the different subjects cooperate - NGOs, universities, state and private sector to make a yet non existing precedence. We created new synergy and a real dialogue.

We want to reach measurable outcomes: lower unsorted waste in participating schools by 60%. Evaluate methods of teaching and select the most effective, then with help of Ministries, multiply the project to all schools in Slovakia and other European countries, where waste sorting is an issue.

Participating NGOs apply different teaching methods and measure their results. First year at 200 schools, 50% of lectures are done by NGO employees, 50% by university students, who are learning the methods. We want to ask more businesses to join Ecoswirl by supplying their plastic waste, which we recycle into trash bins for schools. The local municipalities cooperate with sorting within the towns and villages. Most effective system will be applied nationally. Ecology becomes real new buzzword.

I am a CEO of oral hygiene company and was desperate when found out in December 2016 that 50 tons of toothbrushes yearly that we sell into Slovak market, end up in landfills. The waste recycling system in Slovakia is very poor. Who if not this synergic group of unexpected allies can make a change.

Students of universities, high schools, grammar schools, kinder gardens, mainly future generation which can grow with better environmental habits than the one before. But also for employees of local businesses, who can make a change within the offices and then follow at home with their families.

What made/would make you change your waste sorting habits? What would make you think about the amount of trash you are creating to lower it? How do you influence your family/surrounding in environmental topics? What inspired you? What would inspire your company to enter circular economy?